First gear is over in a blink of an eye. The engine – also found in the Lamborghini Gallardo – picks up like few other engines, and is the only I’ve driven that allows you to feel the torque curve, rather than imagine it on a piece of paper.
Hit the 8,700rpm redline, reach for second and do it all over again.
If it sounds as through I’m won over by the latest incarnation of the R8, you’d be spot on. It takes the excellent V8-engine version and raises it to all-new heights.
Audi’s engineers haven’t simply dropped in the 5.2-litre V10 engine behind the seats, they’ve given it a thorough working over to make the big vee rev like a motorbike. That means this astonishing engine – also found in the Audi RS6 and Audi S8 – revs to 8,700rpm.
But more importantly, fact fans; there’s a 517bhp dollop of power that peaks at 8,000rpm and a massive wedge of torque – 391lb/ft – that kicks in at 6,500rpm. And the R8 V10 has the best power to weight ratio of any Audi yet – an eye watering 319bhp per tonne.
This adds up to headline figures that would be no embarrassment to any member of the supercar set: 0-62mph in 3.9 seconds, and a 197mph top speed – both markedly more impressive than the R8 V8.
Audi R8 Photos
Audi R8 Photos
Audi R8 Photos
Audi R8 Photos
Audi R8 Photos
